Jalapeno Poppers and getting a thick crust?

Question

How can I make my batter stick to the outside of the jalapeno so it is thick? It seems every time I try a thicker batter it wont stick as well.

Asked by Brandon Clark

Answer

I have found that the problem with thicker batters not adhering to peppers generally is to do with the outer membrane protecting the flesh of the jalapeno. Essentially, you need to try to remove or weaken its effect.

You can minimize the effect of the membrane by:

• roasting the pepper, then steam in a brown paper bag and remove it
• scoring the membrane with a fork

Also, the pepper may have a decent layer of wax on it; this you can try to wash off with hot water and a thorough scrubbing.

Answered by mfg

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Making “french fries” out of Cassava/Yuca root

Question

I'm surprised this question isn't already on here, maybe I missed it...

To start, had my first taste of yucca cooked as a sort of alternative french fry at a Bolivian restaurant, and it was delicious. Reminded me of a tastier, sweeter french fry. So inspired by this, I bought some myself and attempted to replicate it, but utterly failed.

What is the best way to replicate the recipe? After watching a video on youtube of how to prepare it, I deep fried it in oil, but it overcooked much too quickly.

UPDATE:

I tried out the selected answer's recipe yesterday, and it worked fantastic. I did a few things differently though, mainly due to time constraints. Full recipe:

1. Cut off brown skin.
2. Slice into steak fry slices
3. Boil for 10mn (I would suggest less, some thinner slices became too soft)
4. Blanch (I only had time for 20-30 mn, but I'd go with the full hr if you have the time)
5. Heat Peanut oil (Med-High) in deep cooking pot (can get messy) and cook until brown.
6. Sprinkle with salt

Note: The answered recipe suggests frying until golden/golden brown, but I found a darker fry to be much tastier!

Asked by JWiley

Answer

This is how my mom prepares it (she's from Brazil, so it might be a tad different):

1. Cut off all the dark brown skin
2. Wash it and put it into a pot of water and bring to a boil
3. Boil for about 10 minutes (it should still be slightly firm, but not hard)
4. Cut it up into french-fry sized pieces
5. Put the slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about an hour
6. Heat oil, fry them for about 10 minutes (until golden brown)
7. Sprinkle with salt

Steps 1-5 can be done ahead of time and you just pull out what you need from the freezer to fry. I have not personally made these, but I ate hers a lot and they were fantastic!

Answered by Michael

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How to make boiled and partially fried vegetables palatable?

Question

I boiled carrot and beans pieces till they were soft, fried onions and green chillies in a pan, added 1kg of the carrot and beans to the pan, few pinches of salt and some powdered spices.
Fried this for 20min and the taste of the veggies were still bland. No taste at all.
I was told to add red chilly powder to it, but I did not have any at 11pm in the night. Kept the pan in the fridge.

I can buy red-chilly powder today and try continuing to fry it.

Do you have any suggestions on what I could add to it, how much chilly powder to add, how long to fry it without spoiling it or any other precautions and tips to make it into a tasty dish?

Asked by Nav

Answer

I would do two things to make them more palatable. 1) Boil the briefly (5-10 mins depending on how hard of a veg they are) in salted water. Something like a tablespoon of kosher salt per 4 quarts water. 2) After they are parboiled, I then will saute, simmer, or braise (depending on the recipe/mood/vegetable) in a highly flavored sauce or spice mix until they are cooked.

So if I was cooking the carrots and (green/string?) beans and wanted to use chili powder I would chop some onion and saute that in olive oil while the other veg parboils. Then, add 1-2 tbls chile powder to the onions (and maybe some garlic, b/c everything is better w/ garlic) and let those flavors meld while you drain the veg. Once you have the veggies drained add them to the onions and spice w/ a bit of liquid (wine, beer, stock; maybe 1/2 cup) and let them cook on low until they are as done as you would like them.

Answered by amedinasmith

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Is there any way to avoid grease splatter?

Question

I often cook fries in a skillet. I put about 1/4 cup vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat on high, then I toss in some frozen fries.

As soon as I toss them in there is an explosion of grease that makes a huge mess. After it simmers down though, I can cook the fries without spilling anymore grease.

Is there anyway to avoid the initial uproar?

Asked by John Isaacks

Answer

Use a deeper dish. Fries shouldn't be fried in a skillet. Use a 4+ quart pan. Then cover with a metal screen to reduce the splatter.

Answered by Brian

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How do you properly drain the grease after browning ground beef?

Question

Whenever I try to drain the grease from the pan after I have browned ground beef, I always end up spilling a little here and there. I usually just take a spoon and "spoon out" the grease into a bowl.

Another technique my mother use to use, but only a few times, was to take a baster and remove the grease that way. But, the downside to this is that the grease is extremely hot and the rubber part of the baster would get really hot.

Is there an easier or better way to do this?

Asked by duchessofstokesay

Answer

I use a baster and have never had a problem with the top part getting too hot, perhaps you could consider getting a bigger one so that the fat doesn't get near the top?

Another option to consider is putting a lid on the pan and tilting it, over a suitable receptacle, then cracking the lid open slightly to allow the fat to drain out without releasing any of the meat.

Answered by Rob

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How to fry meat without spattering oil? [closed]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
Is there any way to avoid grease splatter?

Tonight I cooked dinner, which involved sausages for me, and chicken drumsticks for my partner. The sausages went great, then I proceeded to add some more oil and start the chicken.

This is where my pain started. Soon after, the juices from the meat started coming out and caused the oil to spatter all over my arm. I'm only guessing that this is the cause, but it did seem related. I'm now sporting some minor oil burns and wondering if there's any way to reduce the spattering caused by the juices in the meat when cooking this way, as we both enjoy the taste.

Asked by Matthew Scharley

Answer

while the above suggestions would get rid of the oil splatter problem, they would also result in overcooked meat with a soggy exterior as all the water created during frying (for example, chicken releases a lot of juice) would remain in the pan and steam the meat instead of frying it. your best bet is to get something called a splatter screen. I've seen one at ikea, and at walmart, and I would assume kitchen supply stores would carry it too. a splatter screen is basically a fine metal mesh lid with a handle that fits over a variety of pans/pots and while it allows the steam to escape it also prevents the oil from splattering everywhere by catching in it the fine mesh. the best $10 you'll ever spend.

Answered by Annie

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What causes sticking and what can I do to reduce food sticking to my cast-iron skillet?

Question

I enjoy using my cast-iron skillet, but how can I minimize the amount of food that sticks to it while cooking? I apply oil after cleaning, and for the most part, I only clean it with hot water and a rag.

For the most part, breads (pancakes, sandwiches) and meats do fine, but I have particular trouble with potatoes and fried eggs.

What causes sticking and what can I do to minimize the it?

Asked by Abe

Answer

The first rule to keeping food from sticking to cast-iron is to keep it well primed - it sounds like you're doing that already. Beyond that, read these tips for cooking with stainless steel - they'll also apply to cast iron.

To summarize:

• Food sticks when chemical bonds form between the food molecules and the metal.
• Very hot oil helps to reduce sticking by instantly and continuously heating the food until it's surrounded by a layer of steam from its natural moisture content boiling. Let the oil get nice and hot before adding food.
• Very hot oil also binds with the pan, so food can't. This is the principle behind priming the pan in the first place.

I have some theories regarding particular problem foods:

• Most of the molecular bonding occurs from proteins. Egg whites are mostly protein.
• Frying potatoes creates surfactants in the oil, which cause oil and water to mix. This reduces the effect of the protective layer of steam. (Some people save and re-use cooking oil -- though it can impart a delicious flavor to later meals, it will also build up surfactants if the same oil is used too many times.)
• Also, keep in mind that acidic foods like tomatoes will break down the protective patina and may make foods stick more readily.

Answered by Josh

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Does searing cause more or less oil to be absorbed than frying?

Question

Let's assume that I have two identical pans, with equal amounts of oil in each, and two practically identical slices of tofu (or whatever else, but I'm referring to items that would be more spongiform like tempeh, seitan, etc). Further, I would like a crisply browned, non-oily filet to come off the pan.

In this experiment, the independent variable is that one is heated to medium (a generally specified temperature for frying tofu), and one is nice and heated up for searing;

• If I apply the tofu to both pans and let each one stay on the heat for as long as it takes to brown equally, will one absorb more oil than the other?

For further detail;

• Does the moisture level impact oil-aversion?
• If so, will a wetter block cause less oil absorption?
• Would a dusting of flour or quick rub of salt benefit one or the other method?

Asked by mfg

Answer

Higher temperatures, as a rule, mean less absorption of oil because the force of the steam trying to escape from the food pushes against the oil. Here is a link to a scholarly article discussing the mechanics of fat absorption in the production of french fries (complete with a table of results and diagrams). Interestingly, the author says that potatoes deep fried at more than ten degrees Celsius below the recommended temperature of 180-185C leads to 40% higher fat uptake. I expect pan-frying leads to a much lower total uptake of fat, but I am sure the principle is the same.

(For a fun explanation of the mechanics, here's Alton Brown in part II of the "Man Food" episode of Good Eats. Enjoy.)

Now, your question was aimed at tofu (or some spongy equivalent), and you asked about the effects of flour vs no flour. I could not find any articles with data on those exact elements of your question, but I suspect the answers will all derive from the same underlying principles. In other words, as a rule, cooking at low or medium heat means that the spongy and/or dredged product will tend to absorb more fat than at high heat.

So, then, why do the recipes you have seen typically call for cooking tofu on "medium" heat? My guess is that the recipe authors found that high heat makes the outside brown too much by the time the inside is "done" to the authors' preferences -- and perhaps a little extra oil in the tofu makes it taste better. I am not sure, however, because most of the recipes I've seen call for searing a crust onto the tofu using medium-high heat.

Answered by Bruce Goldstein

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What limitations are there to sauteeing with water?

Question

I was recently helping with some recipes and was instructed to use water for "sauteeing" onions, celery, garlic, etc in place of oil (scare quotes on "saute" since it involves frying in oil or other fat by definition).

The technique is meant to parallel sauteing in oil, water is measured by the tablespoon in a large pan, and although you replace waster as it evaporates the vegetables are never submerged in water. Only enough water is ever used to inhibit sticking of the vegetables to the own.

The results were good and light but I haven't had much of a chance to push it further and experiment with the upsides and downsides (the three dishes meant to just soften the onions, garlic, celery and I had to follow the directions). Obviously, using oils imparts that flavors that you otherwise won't have present if using water. More importantly though, I would like to know which reactions would be inhibited in some way; for instance, would browning and carmelizing happen at a different rate, or at all? Are there any other preparations that would be impossible without a fat to saute in? What are the limitations when using water to saute?

Asked by mfg

Answer

The big difference is that oil can get to a higher temperature than water can. Water turns to steam at 212F, while most oils won't start smoking until 300-400F. Caramelization doesn't happen until 320F (for sucrose and glucose, 230F for fructose), while browning (the Maillard reaction, to be specific) doesn't happen until 375F. Now when you "saute" like that in water, you'll also be using the steam to cook, and the steam will be somewhat hotter than 212F, but probably not enough hotter (or in enough quantity) to get to those reaction temperatures. You might get high enough temperatures via direct contact with the bottom of the pan, but that's a recipe for uneven cooking, as the part of the food actually in direct contact are likely to be quite small.

Answered by Dave Griffith

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No oil on non-stick pans?

Question

My boyfriend is convinced that a non-stick coating on a pan (Teflon, seasoned cast iron, eco-ceramic, what have you) is equivalent to eliminating the need for using any cooking oil whatsoever.

Is this in fact the case? I'm fairly sure that it only reduces the amount of oil necessary to keep things from sticking, but I'm having a hard time proving this (other than the empirical tests that keep failing). Essentially, he is a huge fan of fried eggs, but is trying to avoid the eventual heart attacks.

Asked by Hannele

Answer

There are two parts to this question, the stated part, and the unstated "are you really frying an egg if there is no oil?"

For the first part, most manufacturers of non-stick pans claim that their product makes oil unnecessary, and generally I've found that to be true. A little oil helps, but "necessary" might be a stretch.

To maximize your non-stickyness of a non-stick pan, you should always preheat the pan before adding the food, at least to 250F or so. Preheating causes the teflon to expand a bit, closing up pores and micro-scratches in the surface.

It is also common for oils from the past to form a polymerized layer on top of the teflon, making the pan more sticky. This is actually worse when you use aerosol spray oils, because the tiny droplets hit the pan and very quickly polymerize to form a slightly sticky layer. This layer is similar to the one you intentionally create when seasoning a cast iron pan, but in this case it is not helpful. All-Clad recommends periodically cleaning teflon pans with a light scrub of baking soda and water to remove that coating of oil. It should bring back the maximum slippery of your teflon.

When cooking protein-rich foods, you can also minimize sticking by letting the food cook a bit before attempting to move it. The loose, floppy denatured proteins in an egg are extremely sticky, but when they coagulate (set) from cooking, they become less sticky. It may seem impossibly sticky at first, but may release on it's own after a minute of cooking.

As to the second, unstated part, oil provides flavor, and is also a heat-transfer vehicle. When the food is on the pan, if you looked at it with a microscope only a small portion of the food is actually in contact with the pan. Those areas will get heated more, and other areas will get heated less. A little oil fills those gaps, causing more even thermal contact, which allows fried food to fry, rather than just get burned in some areas.

It is really a matter of taste whether the flavor of the oil and the way that it changes the texture of the food is appealing to your boyfriend. I wouldn't like it without any oil, but if he does, well, so be it. If he doesn't really like the taste, but is concerned about health, I'd suggest using a little olive oil - it has no cholesterol, is low in saturated fats, and has a good flavor. Different than butter, but still very enjoyable.

Answered by Sam Ley

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Is the Tortilla de Patatas modification to include carrots reasonable and can you cook inside a casserole dish to make it taller?

Question

I want to make Tortilla de Patatas but I have extra carrots that I would like to use somewhere. Can I include them in the frying phase? And can the dish be cooked in a casserole dish in the oven instead to make a very tall 'omelet'?

Answer

If you would like to add carrots, make sure you cut them small enough (since it takes quite a while to get them soft). I'm not 100% sure it would be a good fit, but that's up to you.

You certainly can make a tortilla in the oven, I've done so in a spring form. I think I did it for about 45 min in an oven of 180°C/350°F. But this depends of course on how much food you use and how big your form is. Just keep an eye on it, the egg should be fully cooked and the potatoes soft.

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Why do people put oil/butter in pan when frying ground beef?

Question

I have always wondered why people put oil or butter in a pan before browning ground beef. It doesn't make sense since you end up having to drain the grease in the end anyways. What is the purpose of the oil or butter? Is it used for pans that are not non-stick? Flavor?

Answer

Transfer of heat. First you need a hot pan (sprinkle some drops of water on the pan, it should sizzle). Then you add a drop of oil and swirl it around. When the oil forms a striated pattern, it's hot. Then you put the meat in.

The hot oil helps to transfer heat from the bottom of the pan to the meat. You only need a spoonful of oil.

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Can I use flour to make a carrot soup more thick?

Question

I made a carrot soup without the use of a blender as described in previous question link. Which was to chop the carrots and onions really small. The problem is that the result is quite watery.

In the recipe for goulash, I use flour to thicken the soup, in the frying stage. Can I do something similar here? Or will it ruin the taste. I was imagining throughing in some flour with the carrots and onions as they fry.

Answer

How much flavor the flour adds will depend largely on how long it fries with the veggies.

The longer it fries the nuttier it will taste- until it starts to burn of course. If it doesn't cook for long enough (it doesn't take long) it will taste raw which is not pleasant.

You should cook your veggies until they are done and then add your flour and cook just until it starts to smell nutty. I assume this is similar to what you do with your goulash.

Overall- I think that the flavor of even a fairly dark roux would work well with an onion and carrot soup. You could even use this to salvage your already watery soup by making a roux separately and wisking it in.

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Why fry onions without oil and then add oil?

Question

In several recipes I have seen lately, the instructions are to sautee onions and garlic without oil for a few minutes, and then add oil and continue until golden. If it's of any help, these are Ethiopian traditional recipes.

I know that the two processes are different, due to heat transfer by the oil, and the Maillard reaction etc. What could be the reason to start without oil and then add it though?

Answer

According to Wikipedia,

the preparation of a wat begins with chopped onions slow cooked, without any fat or oil, in a dry skillet or pot until much of their moisture has been driven away. Fat (usually niter kibbeh) is then added, often in quantities that might seem excessive by modern Western standards, and the onions and other aromatics are sautéed before the addition of other ingredients. This method causes the onions to break down and thicken the stew.

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What makes vacuum fried food retain and concentrate the food's flavor?

Question

I recently tried some vacuum fried banana chips and pineapple chips from Trade Joe's. They were delicious. Does anyone know why this process helps the food retain and even concentrate the flavors? According to the article, since the frying environment is under a vacuum, this allows food to reach a fried state at ~130 C (normal atmospheric frying is ~170 C).

Answer

Because you are frying at a lower temperature, the food is closer to it's natural state (no browning) and is less cooked. That coupled with the significant drop in moisture, you are concentrating the flavor of the food (just like syrup, only with solid food). It's also typically done with food that is more susceptable to burning, foods with higher sugar contents, so you are often left with a sweeter product.

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What oil to use when cooking steak, and what difference does it make?

Question

When cooking steak, I have always been told groundnut oil is the best to use. But what difference does it make? Is it the best? And if it is the best, what's the next best?

Answer

For steaks I really prefer cooking butter instead of oils, I find that the flavor fits the meat better.

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How to Make Home-made Flour Tortilla Bowls for Salads?

Question

I have tried a couple ways to do this and they have been OK. Of course, when I worked in industrial kitchens, using a deep fryer and a stainless steel potato masher (but larger) was ideal, but neither of these tools are available in my home kitchen.

So basically, I have a 12-15 inch flour tortilla I want to make into a fried bowl for a nice salad. Any ideas?

Answer

Try brushing the tortilla with oil, and baking it upside down over a steel bowl.

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Why did my tomato soup turn thick and brownish?

Question

I tried to improvise a tomato soup following these steps:

• Slice tomatoes, briefly stir-fry for aroma, together with some onions, garlic pepper, salt, and a bit of sugar.
• While still hot, purée all together into the blender.

The result was quite bad: the soup thickened (a bit like jelly) and turned red-brown, rather than fresh red.

Questions:

• Do tomatoes have to be skinned for a reason? Does the skin contain all the starch/jelly-ish stuff?
• What went wrong with the color? Do you have any advice to keep it truly fresh red?
• The above combination with garlic, onions, spices can't be all wrong, can it?

Answer

One of the first things I learned in Indian cooking is that the combination of tomatoes, onions and ginger is self-thickening. As time went by, I realised that the thickening effect is far more noticable with old varieties of tomatoes - "beef" tomatoes and a lot of the modern varieties are difficult to thicken unless partially fried first.

Despite the absence of ginger, I suspect that the thickening is purely a natural action between the tomatoes and the onion, and that the tomatoes used were some particularly nice old variety.

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Why does food cooked with peanut oil stick less than food cooked with sunflower oil?

Question

I tried both peanut oil and sunflower oil on the same food cooked in the same pan and noticed that when cooked with sunflower oil, the food tends to stick to the pan. If I use peanut oil, I have less of a problem.

Can anyone enlighten me as to why both oils react differently even though they are used for cooking food? Both of them have the same smoke point.

Answer

I feel the same as you Anderson. I found that too and you just made me to do some research, which I found they have different smoke points.

Unrefined sunflower oil 225°F 107°C Unrefined peanut oil 320°F 160°C

see the link: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/50/Smoke-Points-of-Various-Fats

Also, one of the reasons food stick to the pan is the evenness of the temperature of the pan. If you use a thicker pan or copper pan, the heat will be distributed on the pan more evenly and food will stick less. The higher smoke point of oil makes me to believe the oil helps to distribute heat more evenly.

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Is it reasonable to expect “spiciness” to fry off?

Question

I got in a "heated" discussion with my wife this evening about a fried turkey recipe that I want to try for Thanksgiving. It calls for:

• 1 cup of Creole seasoning
• 1/2 cup of black pepper
• 1/2 cup of Cayenne pepper

all mixed with a bottle of a bottle of italian dressing, which I will admit sounds pretty damn spicy. But after readying the reviews it seems like everyone says the heat cooks off and the bird comes out delicious.

It it reasonable to expect that the spiciness will fry off during the cooking process or am I going to ruin (another) Thanksgiving?

Answer

If you are worried: a fast and cheap way to test the mixture is to to try it on a piece of chicken breast.

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